Fresh Air, Paul Thomas Anderson, December 19, 2007

Hear film director Paul Thomas Anderson, book critic Maureen Corrigan, and rock critic Ken Tucker on this edition of Fresh Air.

Paul Thomas Anderson's new release is There Will Be Blood. It's based on an Upton Sinclair novel and stars Daniel Day Lewis as an oil prospector in the earliest days of the industry. Anderson's other films are the Oscar nominated films Boogie Nights and Magnolia, and Punch Drunk Love, starring Adam Sandler.

Then, Maureen Corrigan gives us her year end round-up. Her favorite titles of 2007 in fiction are: Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo, Min Jin Lee's Free Food for Millionaires, Paula Spencer by Roddy Doyle, Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan, The Other Side of You by Salley Vickers, On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan, Wash This Blood From My Hands by Fred Vargas, Run by Ann Patchett and Exit, Ghost by Philip Roth. In non-fiction, Maureen recommends The Mistress' Daughter by AM Homes, Thomas Hardy by Clare Tomalin, and Ralph Ellison: A Biography by Arnold Rampersad.

Finally, Ken Tucker runs down the best pop music of 2007, which he calls The Year in Rehabilitation. His picks are: Rehab by Amy Winehouse, Piece of Me by Britney Spears; Aly & AJ, Closure; Fiery Furnaces, Navy Nurse; Miranda Lambert, Crazy Ex Girlfriend and Teddy Thompson, Change of Heart. [Broadcast Date: December 19, 2007]